Lignocellulosic biomass is biomass composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin derived from plant-based materials including wood from trees and forest residues; grasses, stovers (e.g., corn), bagasse (e.g., sugarcane), straw, some algaes (e.g., filamentous algae), and like materials. Lignocellulosic biomass has a wide variety of potential uses, for example, for production of renewable energy, bioethanol, transportation fuels, commodity chemicals, and other materials that could one day reduce demands on existing oil supplies, and could one day reduce demands on existing grain supplies used currently to produce ethanol. Presently, fermentation of grain sugars is a well-known process for producing ethanol used as a common blend stock in gasoline and for production of some commodity chemicals. However, finding a replacement for ethanol is not trivial. For example, while other hydrocarbons can be produced by fermentation, biochemical approaches leading to such hydrocarbons are not always compatible with complex biomass hydrolysate streams. Further, while some approaches have been investigated for converting lignocellulosic biomass feedstocks to transportation fuels, these approaches typically require extensive capital expenditures and high operation costs stemming from multistep procedures, complex chemistries, elevated processing conditions (e.g., high temperatures and high pressures), or energy-intensive operations. As a result, simple and cost-effective replacements are still being sought. In particular, a need still exists for processes that can provide paraffin- and isoparaffin-containing fuels such as diesel and aviation that also have an ability to reduce: capital requirements for processing equipment, processing steps, energy consumption, and operation costs that can also work in the existing commercial infrastructure and can use lignocellulosic materials as feedstocks. The present invention is an important step in addressing these needs.